The Writing Tool can help you to offer your students a different kind of assignment to see which students would be suitable for a Honors Program.

What is the
Writing Tool?

Talented students do show different character traits than non-talented students which can allow teachers to spot them. Regarding learning strategies, students already enrolled in honors do more often rewrite a paper and apply theories¹ ². It is assumed that talented students not yet enrolled in honors do show sort-a-like character traits. Some of the traits can hardly be discovered during regular class, taking also in account that not every talented student obviously shows those character traits.

Additionally, we know from research on learning strategies that a questionnaire about used learning strategies of a student does not always reproduce the actually used learning strategies³. Therefore, spotting talented students cannot be solved only by observation or using f. e. questionnaires or checklists. Talented students do have the potential to rise to the top and their way to handle assignments can give a hint on their talent, as well.

Giving every student the opportunity to voluntary hand in a written assignment can already give a hint on those students willing to do more than the regular curriculum or class offers.

How do I use it?

When talking about talented and motivated students, they also show different perspectives on their own learning path and biography. They do show a high openness connected to curiosity, originality and creativity.⁶ Additionally, they show higher self-concepts ⁷.

These qualities can be visible during class, but as students enrolled in Honors also can be more introverted ⁸ they might not be spotted. Giving them the opportunity to hand in a written assignment about the personal development can be a opportunity.

Those questions can be about reflecting your own learning biography and the academic path you went on but also can be about the future. There are already questions on the assignment sheet, which can be used or added with own suggestions.

Students enrolled in Honors do show a higher interaction with their department, teachers and outside university ¹ ² ⁹. Especially the engagement in co-curricular activities cannot be perceived inside classroom activities. Giving talented students the opportunity to write an assignment around questions of how to use your talent for society can help to spot those active students.

Especially as they are “heavily encouraged to take part in experiential learning through internships, study abroad, leadership roles, and faulty-directed research” ¹⁰.

The questions on the assignment sheet can also be connected or expanded regarding special research questions inside your own department or class.

Not alone Europe but the world is changing rapidly and facing issues which need to be addressed. But there are no easy answers and we need talented and creative people, willing to change the world to the better. As every problem can be perceived by different views and most of the time offers more than only one solution, dilemmas are frequent.

A dilemma describes a situation in which both suggested decisions do not lead to a desired result. Dilemmas often are perceived as paradox and, normally, there is no right or wrong decision, as both of the opportunities do have negative effects. Regarding to social policy Rittel & Webber already pointed out the difficulties when answering social problems in 1973:

“The search for scientific bases for confronting problems of social policy is bound to fail, because of the nature of these problems. They are “wicked” problems, whereas science has developed to deal with “tame” problems. Policy problems cannot be definitively described. Moreover, in a pluralistic society there is nothing like the undisputable public good; there is no objective definition of equity; policies that respond to social problems cannot be meaningfully correct or false; and it makes no sense to talk about “optimal solutions” to social problems unless severe qualifications are imposed first. Even worse, there are no “solutions” in the sense of definitive and objective answers.”⁴

Furthermore, they point out that decisions made cannot easily be reversed, as “every attempt to reverse a decision or to correct for the undesired consequences poses another set of wicked problems, which are in turn subject to the same dilemmas. ⁵

Spotting talented students who show a great desire to learn and do wrap themselves around wicked problems, can be difficult. Handing in a written assignment based on a dilemma can help finding those talented students. You can find some suggestions for dilemmas on the assignment sheet, but surely there are some questions around your own scientific topic which can be transported into a likewise dilemma.

Let yourself be inspired on creating an own field-based dilemma by watching the video below this box.

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Disclaimer

This project (CoTalent) has received funding from the European Commission. The content of this website reflects the views only of the CoTalent group, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein